The University of Redlands men's golf team put together a formidable season with several highlights that culminated in an individual appearance at the NCAA Division III Men's Golf Championships. As one of the powerhouses amidst a highly-touted Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC), the Maroon and Gray finished in third place, just three strokes off the champions, in a tight race that came down to the final holes. With a relatively young crew, the Bulldogs gained tremendous experience in a challenging yet rewarding campaign.
The Bulldogs opened the fall portion of the season in Prescott, AZ, at the Embry-Riddle Co-Ed Invitational. After shaking off the rust, the squad improved each round with scores of 309-294-291 for a total of 894 over the three days. Junior Cade Lawson (Lake Oswego, OR) paced the Bulldogs with a 54-hole tally of 214. He found his rhythm throughout the tournament with scores of 79-68-67 with two of his career-best rounds en route to a third-place showing. Sophomore Jake Hollander (Peterborough, NH) finished tied for 10th with a total of 222, while junior Alex Stroes (San Marcos, CA) followed close behind in 15th place with a score of 224 (75-76-73). Both sophomore Cameron Cooper (Seattle, WA) and senior George Galanis (Chicago, IL) completed the tournament with scores of 226 in a tie for 16th, followed by sophomore Diego Cortes (Santiago, Chile), who registered a 54-hole score of 230.
In mid-October, the Bulldogs headed to the Cal State Northridge Cullum Invitational, where they placed 12th in a highly-decorated field of competitors to complete the fall season. Lawson and Cooper led the Maroon and Gray with their scores of 223, which included a round of 72 for each.
Immediately following the fall season, Redlands broke into the national rankings at No. 20.
Action resumed in February at the CSUSM Fujikura Invitational. While taking on NCAA Division II and III competition, the Bulldogs finished 12th as a team. Lawson bettered his score each round to serve as the Maroon and Gray's top finisher with a 54-hole tally of 227 to tie for 23rd.
Shortly after, the Maroon and Gray took to the Olivas Links Golf Course in Ventura for the first SCIAC Tournament of the year. The two-day event came down to the wire, with the Bulldogs finishing just one stroke behind a tie for first place with an overall score of 581 (285-296) over 36-holes. Per the usual, Lawson was the top finisher for the Bulldogs, ending the weekend at two-under-par 142 to land in a three-way tie for second overall. Cortes also put together an impressive showing with a tournament-best round of 66, which ranks among the top four in Redlands' men's golf history. He went on to finish fifth on the leaderboard with a 144. Galanis and Cooper tallied top-20 scores of 149 and 150, respectively, while Stroes completed the tournament with a 152 for 27th place.
The Bulldogs used that momentum to capture a third-place showing at the The Master's University Spring Invite in Santa Clarita. With consistency and poise, Redlands remained in third throughout the two-day event. Stroes led the Maroon and Gray with his season-best score of 215 (76-72-67), which included a season-best round of 67 during the final 18 holes. Cortes, Lawson, and sophomore Dylan Merchant (Ellsworth, WI) each earned top-25 finishes as well. Cortes landed in a tie for 18th with consistent rounds of 78, 75, and 73. Both Lawson and Merchant played off of each other well with scores of 217 to tie for 21st. Lawson knocked off seven strokes from his second round to close the weekend with a 72.
After a 13th-place result at the Las Vegas Desert Classic, the Bulldogs worked to rebound in late March and began a stellar push toward the end of the season. Now ranked 18th in the country, Redlands took on a handful of familiar foes, including all of the SCIAC schools, at the West Cup. The Maroon and Gray finished seventh in a field of 17 teams with a 54-hole score of 929 (322-303-304). Lawson produced an incredible outing with a tied-for-second-place performance when he signed his scorecard with a 217. Lawson improved each day with subsequent rounds of 75, 73, and an eye-catching 69, which was the lowest in the tournament. He also led the field with 11 birdies and registered 31 pars. Continuing the improvement trend, Cortes fired off scores of 82, 78, and 74 for a total of 234 to finish in a tie for 31st. He knocked in seven birdies and landed among the top 20 in par-three scoring with a 3.13. Galanis and Hollander finished within two strokes of each other at 238 and 240, respectively.
During the SCIAC No. 2 Tournament, Redlands climbed one spot into third place with a 36-hole total of 601 (297-304). Galanis impressed with a tied-for-ninth-place effort by shooting rounds of 74 and 77. The remainder of the team completed the event at Brookside Golf Course within five strokes of each other amidst a very tight competition. Lawson improved his second round by seven strokes en route to a 153 to tie for 14th in the individual standings.
In the final event of the regular season, the Bulldogs closed out the SCIAC Championship Tournament in a display of fierce competitiveness that came down to the final few holes. As the squad finished third overall in a tightly-contested battle, Hollander earned medalist honors with a breakthrough performance. After teeing off the event with a 71, he dominated the course the next day with a tournament-low score of 67, which put him in first place with one round remaining. He staved off the competition with a winning putt to win a tournament for the first time in his young career. Overall, he registered 14 birdies and 33 pars while registering a minus-seven score of 4.42 on par fives. Classmate Cooper finished third overall with a final score of 216, which included the tournament's best par-four result at 3.97. He steadily improved each day by recording scores of 73, 72, and 71 while leading the field with 41 pars. Stroes endured a challenging final day but finished in a tie for 17th with a 223. He registered 10 birdies and shot minus-one for an average of 2.92 on par threes. Lawson finished in a tie for 32nd, while Galanis and Merchant concluded in a tie for 39th and 43rd, respectively. As a team, the Bulldogs sat just two strokes behind second place and three strokes in front of fourth in a competitive tournament.
With the seven-round aggregate scoring, the Bulldogs also earned third place in the conference standings with a total of 2,059 strokes.
After a stellar season, Lawson individually qualified for the NCAA Division III Men's Golf Championships for his first national experience of his career. Lawson tallied an opening round of 75 with a birdie and 14 pars to sit at 64th on the individual leaderboard. He upped his performance the next day with a score of 74 with two birdies and 12 pars for a 36-hole total of 149. Despite the seven-shot improvement in the standings, Lawson just missed the cut to continue but ended his season on a high note. With his excellent season, Lawson earned a spot on the 2018 NCAA Division III PING All-West Region Team, which is named by the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA). He completed his sophomore season with an average score of 74.2 in 25 rounds, including a season-low of 67.
In addition, Hollander and Cooper each landed on the All-SCIAC teams for the first time. Hollander's season average of 72.8 during five conference rounds resulted in a First-Team selection, as Cooper collected a Second-Team nod with a conference average of 74.14 in seven rounds.
Achievement reached the classroom as well for the Bulldogs, as sophomore Robert Case (San Diego, CA), Cortes, and senior Joseph Kuehn (Eugene, OR) all received a spot on the 2017-18 SCIAC All-Academic Team.
With plenty to celebrate during their strong season, the Bulldogs' ceiling remains high, as they build upon their recent momentum for continued success. With a capable returning core setting the tone, the Maroon and Gray looks forward to taking the next step toward the top of the SCIAC and beyond.